Behind the Scenes on a Photoshoot

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and make some new contacts. I was invited to collaborate on a photoshoot with a professional model, makeup artist and photographers and I styled a few outfits from Ocean Avenue’s spring/summer collection. It was a great experience and I had so much fun. Here’s a few snapshots I took from behind the scenes.

The first outfit is an eye-catching black and white combo consisting of a white bamboo rayon tank tucked into a black cotton voile skirt with an embroidered hem but it’s the jewelry that really pulls this outfit together. I’ve paired a mesh bead necklace in black onyx and white jade with a simple rose earring. After I dressed Shaka she skipped off through the park to snap a few pictures. I felt like the outfit had just come to life as she bounced around with so much energy and excitement. I absolutely love the garden background and the carefree attitude that came along with it.

Next we headed to a cherry blossom tree on the other side of the park which was perfectly complimentary to the printed rayon tank top. Cora, our makeup artist, had applied the perfect hue of lipstick to match the top so to keep the look simple I just added a pair of lightweight grey wooden earrings. We wanted to capture the blossoms floating so instead of waiting for a random gust of wind we sent Rose under a branch to give it a shake and suddenly Shaka was completely showered in petals.

For the next look we just had to take advantage of the bike. After Cora did a quick hair and makeup change I styled Shaka in a black textured knit top with a white bamboo rayon tank layered underneath.  For the perfect touch I added a pair of black wooden heart earrings. I love the architecture in the background and the perfect balance between sex appeal and femininity. We certainly got a lot of attention from people passing by, I mean how could you not stare at a hot girl on a bike?

I think the last look was the best one and it really allowed Shaka to express her talent to the fullest. I dressed her in a cute pair of linen shorts, black and white bamboo rayon tanks, and then layered on a few necklaces made from wood, glass, and turquoise, then added a sparkly cocktail ring to complement the turquoise heels. There is just something about putting on a bright coloured shoe that makes every girl want to strut her stuff.

I loved watching Shaka do her runway walk along the ramp and in that moment visions of my collection featured in a fashion show danced in my head as photographers stood at the end of the runway capturing every shot. More plans for that later, but in the meantime I’ve got a few more outfits to shoot and I’m looking forward to working on the beach to show off some of my summer items. Overall it was a great experience and I can’t wait for the next one.

Clothing/Jewelry: Julianna Ocean Avenue

Model: Shaka Bee Laka

Photographer: Darryl Pascoe

Makeup/Hair: Cora Gillespie

Organized by: Rose Agahi Toronto Photography Solutions

 

Toronto Photography Solutions offer workshops covering a variety of topics and I was so happy to join their team for this shoot. For more information you can visit their website: www.torontophotographysolutions.com

Watch This: I’m on TV!

So yesterday I had an amazing opportunity to be featured on Daytime Peel. It’s a local talk show featuring guests from Mississauga and Brampton. I taught Sonia Sache how to sew an iphone pouch, make a beaded charm bracelet, and showed her how to wear an infinity scarf. It was so much fun!

Watch Daytime Peel – Wednesday April 10th

Things are getting a little sketchy around the studio..

The past few days I’ve littered my work space with tons of pencil drawings and sketches with new ideas. One might think a designer’s sketches are supposed to be very artistic and create a sense of mood to tell a story about the outfit. Well my sketches are nothing like that. I’m a very technical person, I always have been and probably always will be. I just draw things that make sense in a very technical and straight forward way. I write notes to plan the details or construction of the garment.

I press really hard when I’m confident about a drawing.. like when you’re writing something down that’s really really important and you’re worried you might forget details before you get it down on paper. I get the same way with words when I have an idea or an email to write.. which is why I type ridiculously fast. I also walk fast. Maybe it’s all related.

I also prefer to use a dull pencil. They just move better on the paper. I get my hands completely dirty because I write with my right hand as if I’m left handed. Yep. Can’t figure that one out. My theory is probably that my left-handed sister taught me how to write so I probably hold my pencil the way a left handed person would but it just feels more natural to me.

After I get all the rough ideas out on paper I go the computer and choose the ones I like then I create technical drawings. For all you non-fashion designers: that’s really what they’re called, or technicals for short. Good thing I’m such a technical person right? Here’s a sneak peak of my late summer and early fall collection. I’ll keep fabric and colour a big secret for now though.

When I first learned how to use Adobe Illustrator I used to day dream about working a nine-to-five job where I would just sit at a computer all day and do technicals. Well it seemed pretty exciting and realistic at the time. Now I do still enjoy it because the thing that got me into sewing and designing clothing was the whole figuring-stuff-out part. I like that the most and I’m pretty good at it. So basically I take all the ideas and I turn them into realistic pieces of clothing that can be produced. Yay. Well that’s a little glimpse into my design world this week. Hope you enjoyed a sneak preview of what I’m working on!

It’s Fashion Week.. Eek!

Why does Fashion week have to be in March? It’s such a busy month with the spring/summer line upon me and of course I’ve got all kinds of birthday celebrations to keep me extra busy. I wish I could take a week off to just socialize and attend parties. I had originally planned to buy industry tickets and attend some shows this week but I’ll probably just catch up next week when I have more time to watch videos, flip through pictures, and read up on the most exciting parts. I guess it’s sort of like watching sports highlights.. makes sense when you just don’t have the time commitment.

I did end up going to an event called Fashion in the Digital World last night and I had the chance to do some networking and learn about the latest with fashion online. Here’s a few tidbits I’d like to share.

Fashion Forward

This is a great website to post and browse free classified ads for fashion goods. Meet up locally with the seller to view and try on the items then pay for the goods if you’re satisfied. No shipping or fees involved and avoid the issues resulting from buying items unseen. The thing I like most about this is you’re just looking at fashion goods. No sorting though long lists of classified ads for blenders and dirty old couches.

Peacock Parade

Amazing flash sales. It’s like a sample sale except it happens online. You have 15 minutes to complete the sale and the items are shipped directly to you. They feature both name brand items and also Canadian designers.

Hangrz.com

Here you can gather images of items to create outfits in a virtual closet. Style your friends with items from their closet or suggest new looks. I can see this being very popular for bloggers and it’s a great tool to help friends pick out what to wear or coordinate items to pack for a vacation.

What’s your favourite source online when it comes to fashion? I’d love to hear about it!

You don’t need to go far to find inspiration..

Saturday afternoon I was wandering around my neighbourhood until I ended up at Homesense. I didn’t even go there on purpose.. I just found myself there.  The truth is I had a coffee and decided I’d prefer to drink it while looking at pretty things.

I hesitated to go in at first because I have a shopping addiction.. and when I’m buying things for my business I can’t say no. I need them. Like I really need them.  The fact is I didn’t need anything at the moment but for some reason I still felt compelled to go into Homesense. I promised myself I wouldn’t buy something ridiculous.

What I found was.. a whole lot of inspiration and exciting colour stories that took me away on a little vacation. It’s as if I’d left this cold climate and teleported myself to a little beach house full of pretty things.

I love the blue and white colour story. It’s so soft and delicate yet very fresh. I’m so inspired by interesting textures and I’m still very much in love with wood.

I also noticed another spring theme which is sort of a garden theme. There were birds everywhere! I also really loved the little bird baths. I don’t think nearly enough people have bird baths. Those people should probably go to Homesense.

I love the contrast of colours in this theme. I usually expect a garden theme to be full of rich greens but I like the lime/navy/pink hues as a colour pop next to the light blues and whites. Yes, yes, yes.

After taking this little field trip I felt much better in the design department. I knew which direction I wanted to take and confirmed that the decisions I had already made were good ones.

I managed to make it out of Homesense without buying anything. I remembered a quote I had seen during the holidays that said “Collect Moments, Not Things” and I think that could probably help with my hoarding tendencies. One day I’ll have a beach house full of old things. In the meantime I’ll fill my home with good friends, family and laughter.

Maybe it’s time to start a blog..

Okay my life is getting a little bit crazy. Or maybe it’s always been crazy I’m not sure. Regardless it’s definitely crazy right now. Here’s a glimpse into my day:

Today’s goal: Design dresses. Had breakfast while browsing the internet. Completed other important tasks. Oh wow it’s lunch time. Cooked myself lunch. Researched dresses with bows on them. Sketched some dresses. Got distracted by pretty things on Pinterest. Found a similar dress in my closet. Tried it on. Wished for summertime. Looked at pictures of seashells. Got out some fabric. Made a mess of fabric bolts all over my floor. Realized I don’t have labels for any of this fabric.. placed a label order.. Found some other fabric and decided it would make a nice top. Drafted a top pattern. Baked brownies for dinner. Managed to cut and sew the top and put it on. Love it. It’s now midnight. WTF?!

Ok so things don’t usually go as you expect them to.

That’s just how it is. When I first started my business I was excited about all my wonderful ideas and had a million things I wanted to do. The list was endless and I’d tackle each priority as it came up. Soon enough I found myself unable to get around to doing everything. It’s like time was passing but some of the things just weren’t getting done. Strange. I did all kinds of things all day every day but it just wasnt enough. I could always do more. It’s like time was moving too fast. Or was I moving faster than time?

Sometimes you need a moment to just sit down and collect your thoughts. Well here’s my  thoughts. Follow me on my journey through a sea of new experiences, life changing decisions, mountains of ups and downs and wandering paths. It’s not about where you’re going, the fun part is getting there.. Right?